The second annual event for alternative proteins and cultured coffee enthusiasts, Food Loves Tech (FLT), was held on November 3-4 at Industry City in Brooklyn, New York. Food Loves Tech is an education by entertainment innovation expo conducted by the magazines Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn.

FLT brought together innovators in food and drink, starts ups and thought-leaders, and food aficionados and enthusiasts, all under one roof to discuss where food has been and where it is going, both on and off the grid.

The two are magazines that cover Manhattan’s and Brooklyn’s local food and drink culture, restaurants, ethnic eats, farmer’s markets, food-related events, or articles on things related to food in the two New York City boroughs.

A Slice of Americana

The two magazines chose Industry City as the venue for this year’s expo because it is a known community hub for creativity and innovation. The expo’s local purveyors set up shops in the area, allowing creative and entrepreneurial energy to run through its hallways in inspiring and motivating ways.

The expo features a lineup of demos from industry leaders and innovators looking to engage an audience that is focused on bold ideas and innovation for the future of food and drink. As the motto of the expo is “Education by entertainment,” attendees to the expo were expected to open both their minds and mouths for a new experience in food and drinks.

The expo kicked off on the first day with the sold out $100 Future of the Cocktail event. It featured drinks from the hands of expert bartenders and mixologists, including the famed team from Gramercy Tavern, who designed futuristic cocktails that feature innovative brewing and distilling technologies. Only 200 available tickets were printed and sold separately.

The Future of Nourishment

The Brooklyn sector featured the likes of Edenworks, an aquaponics company, and Spira, a company with technology to grow spirulina anywhere. These types of food tech advancements offer a glimpse into how industry leaders are building the future of agriculture and nourishment. Brooklyn has become increasingly famous in this sector.

The Food Loves Tech Expo features a series of experiential exhibits that showcase samples from unforgettable food and drinks from different makers. This continues Edible’s attempts to connect positive pioneers in food technology and sustainability with the future’s food chains. FLT had its premiere in June 2016, and the expo this November merely continues where other food explorers have not gone before. The expo boasts multiple immersive installations, tastings, technologies, leadership panels, and dining experiences that travel across the current and future states of food across four themes: food in the field, in the home, in the city, and on the horizon.

New Innovations, Brand New Experiences

The expo let participants experience things such as rooftop farming, the boom of food apps, virtual reality menus, and new sustainable protein sources including grilled crickets. FLT brought together innovators in food and drink, starts ups and thought-leaders, and food aficionados and enthusiasts, all under one roof to discuss where food has been and where it is going, both on and off the grid.

The Edibles created Food Loves Tech as part of its history of supporting and predicting the future of foods as well as to offer the public a rare chance of having a glimpse of the technologies that will be part of our everyday food lives – a lot sooner than we all think.